How To Install Ubuntu Linux on your HP TouchPad?

AUGUST 24, 2011

in GADGETS, HOW TO

With the demise of webOS, all HP TouchPad owners are looking at various options to make their devices worthwhile. Work is already on way to root Android to the TouchPad. If your unwilling to wait till then and also a Linux fan, you could very well install Ubuntu Linux on your HP TouchPad.

Ubuntu is an Open Source Operating System and the advantage with installing Ubuntu on your TouchPad is that you could dual-boot both webOS and Ubuntu Linux on your TouchPad.

Also Check: Android to port on HP TouchPad soon!

Also Check: HP TouchPad Android Installation Guide

Follow the steps below to install Ubuntu Linux on your HP TouchPad:

1. Install Preware

Preware is a collection of free homebrew applications, patches, themes and kernels for your webOS devices. With Preware you could install any of the open standard package repositories on preware.org. The current version of Preware is 1.6.3.

You can use any of the following methods to install Preware on your HP TouchPad:

1. Installing Preware using the Official HP/Palm SDK

2. Installing Preware with WebOS Quick Install

3. Installing Preware with the Standalone Installer

4. Installing Preware from the Commandline

Detailed instructions of the various methods to install Preware on your HP TouchPad can be found here.

2. Install ext3fs with Meta-Doctor

You will need to create a 2 GB partition to install Ubuntu Linux on your TouchPad. To do this you will need to install ext3fs with Meta-Doctor. For more information on Meta-Doctor and its installation go here.

You can use Meta-Doctor to create a ext3fs partition by using the following command:

EXT3FS_PARTITION_SIZE = 2GB

(Note: It is 2 GB in this case, you could specify any size depending on your requirements)

Now, your partition will be found at /media/ext3fs on device.

3. Mount ext3fs partition at device boot

You need to have the ext3fs partition mounted at device boot. To do this:

Create folder at /media/ext3fs using:

mount -o remount,rw /

mkdir -p /media/ext3fs

Use only /media/ext3fs as the location because only then Ubuntu 11.04 Chroot will be able to find it.

Edit the fstab file to set it up to mount at bootup using:

mount -o remount,rw /

echo "/dev/mapper/store-ext3fs /media/ext3fs ext3 noatime,data=writeback 0 0" >> /etc/fstab

Now to mount ext3fs at bootup use:

mount -a

4. Install Xecutah, XServer and Ubuntu 11.04 Chroot

Enable WebOS Internals Testing Feeds.

From Preware install Xecutah, XServer and Ubuntu 11.04 Chroot.

Run XServer and this will open a XServer window. Now, return to Xecutah and tap Ubuntu 11.04 Chroot. Return to XServer window and you will see a Ubuntu command prompt. Use “apt-get install” to install apps from Ubuntu.

This is it and now, you are ready to run Ubuntu on your HP TouchPad.

Note: Amazon still has HP TouchPad 16 GB and HP TouchPad 32 GB in stock.

Check: XAMPP for Ubuntu Download

Do tell us about your experiences on installing and running Ubuntu Linux on your HP TouchPad.

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Tagged as: HP, TouchPad